The owner of a Bronx-based boxing gym with championship pedigree has run into several roadblocks in his attempt to open a second location in downtown Norwich.

On Thursday, city building officials issued a “notice of unsafe structure” for John’s Boxing Gym at 206-210 Main St., forcing it to close indefinitely. Officials say owner John Gjini needs several clearances, including a parking waiver, zoning conversion and reassessed sewer connection fee.

The Commission on the City Plan was to vote Tuesday night on the parking waiver, but the matter was postponed until mid-March to give Gjini more time to present detailed floor plans and a timeline of code compliance work necessary before the building is cleared for public use.

According to city officials, the gym was being used before any permits were granted.

“On Feb. 14, we observed occupancy of the structure located at the referenced address… You are hereby ordered to cease all use of the referenced structure until you have been issued a Certificate of Occupancy,” Building Official James Troeger wrote to the property owners late last week, identified in city records at Waterford-based CDP Properties LLC.

The letter ordered Gjini to “submit a floor plan indicating proposed use of all spaces within the structure and a code analysis prepared by a licensed design professional along with an application for a building permit.”

Peter Davis, the city’s director of planning and neighborhood services, said the building needs significant improvements before it’s deemed usable. According to him and Gjini, up to 90 people could be in the gym at the same time.

Davis said parking is at the bottom of the list of things the city is concerned about at the location.

“You don’t want to put anybody in that building because it’s not safe. Especially kids,” he said.

Gjini, of East Lyme, said he signed a lease for the 4,400-square-foot space in September and was told by the landlord then that he was authorized to open. Gjini opened for business last week only to be shut down by the city on Thursday.

Gjini said he is not trying to change the rule.

“In a million years, I never thought it would come down to the wire like this,” he said.

He also said he was training his son at the facility last week, but has not opened it for wider use.

Attempts to contact CDP Properties LLC were unsuccessful. The company acquired the Main Street building in 2011, city records show. It was built in 1928 and is the former location of Lawson’s Discount Store.

For the past decade, Gjini has operated John’s Boxing Gym in the Bronx. The establishment has been around for more than 30 years and was the training ground for International Boxing Federation world champions Joseph Agbeko and Joshua Clottey.

Page 2 of 2 - Gjini said his passion is working with young people interested in the sport, but he was frustrated at the difficulty in opening his Norwich location.

“If they don’t want a gym in Norwich, I’ll just pack up my bags and go to another town,” Gjini said. “This is not about me. This is not about Norwich. This is about our children.”

City leaders and economic development officials say they’re eager to see Gjini open his doors — but not at the expense of skirting local ordinances and building regulations.

“We definitely want to make this happen if we can. We want to keep this guy in town, but he has to play by the same rules as everybody else,” assistant building official Greg Arpin said. “This department is not trying to make anything difficult for him, but our hands are tied.”

Davis echoed that. He said if officials were opposed to the gym, he would have recommended the Commission on the City Plan reject Gjini’s proposal outright, based on the existing safety concerns.

“It’s another opportunity for him to correct the situation on his end. I could advise the commission to just deny this thing, but that’s not how we do business,” he said.

Jason Vincent, of Norwich Community Development Corp., said the gym is eligible to qualify for downtown revitalization funds, but must be in compliance with city rules before that can happen.

“We’re trying to get small businesses to open downtown, but it has to be done in accordance with all local laws,” he said. “It wasn’t for a lack of effort by the city to keep this project moving forward.”